These top picks let you play in comfort and style, and with much-needed lumbar support.
Whether you play PC games on a monitor or console games on a TV, you need a place to sit. You can use anything from a sofa, to a La-Z-Boy, to a dining room chair, but if you really want to sit in style while you play, you should buy a dedicated gaming chair. They’re comfortable, sturdy, and designed with gamers in mind. What Makes a Chair a Gaming Chair? At first glance, gaming chairs don’t look all that different from desk chairs. They’re typically pretty large, with backrests that extend high enough to support your head, along with large armrests and a swiveling base with wheeled castors that let you roll and spin freely (with a few exceptions, like the Puma Active Gaming Seat). You’ve probably seen « executive » office chairs that look pretty similar. Gaming chairs have a few key differences, though. First, the color and style options of gaming chairs are generally very different from office chairs. Most office chairs focus on dark colors and earth tones, and have more traditional seat designs. Gaming chairs usually come in a variety of colors, and even if the chair is mostly black, there will likely be plenty of eye-catching accents to make it stand out. Some gaming chairs are even branded with superheroes or e-sports teams or movies or shows. The seats of gaming chairs are also designed more closely after racing chairs used in simulators, so you’re going to see a lot more bucket seats than frumpy armchair designs. Second, gaming chairs are much more adjustable. All of the models we’ve tested have the usual options like height and tilt, just like office chairs. But they go a step further with adjustable armrests you can pivot, slide, and move up and down. Sadly, we’ve yet to find any with cupholders. Third, gaming chairs recline. While office chairs generally offer only limited adjustments on the angle between the seat and the back of the chair, gaming chairs let you lean back with the pull of a lever. Every gaming chair we’ve tested has a reclining function that lets you sit back comfortably and stare at your TV as easily as you can lean forward and watch your computer monitor.
